Case 358 – Clothes shop scissor ban

Issue

Enquirer and their girlfriend were shopping in a chain clothing retail store. She bought a blazer and wanted to wear it home so asked for scissors to cut the tag off but was advised that for ‘health and safety’ reasons they were no longer allowed to keep scissors at the counter.

Panel opinion

This is a clear cut example of poor customer service hidden behind a health and safety excuse. The retailer has now confirmed that there is no company policy banning scissors in store. Scissors are an everyday object and the risk of harm from using them to remove tags is minimal.